I'm a v low spend mobile user, using it mainly for texting and incoming
calls. I also have orange Out There (5 free texts per day) on my number and
don't want to lose it.

New phone required and I'm thinking of getting a basic smartphone and using
my existing 2G sim for voice and text but using built in Wifi to browse and
check emails when I'm at home or in the office to save having to have a PC
on all the time.

Not swapping to a 3G sim is deliberate to keep the costs down as I don't
really need data on the move.

Can anyone see any problem is using my basic 2G sim in a smartphone?

If anyone's interested, Orange San Fran (ZTE Blade) is in the frame for the
phone (re-flashed).

Peter Burke <none@none.invalid> wrote:
> Not swapping to a 3G sim is deliberate to keep the costs down as I don't
> really need data on the move.
>
> Can anyone see any problem is using my basic 2G sim in a smartphone?

I can't see a problem, but I have no experience.
> If anyone's interested, Orange San Fran (ZTE Blade) is in the frame for the
> phone (re-flashed).

Since it's Android, download APNdroid. That gives you a homescreen widget
that you can use to stop all data traffic. Then you can turn it on only
when you want to.

"Peter Burke" <none@none.invalid> wrote in message
news:4c69hb.l0i.19.1@news.alt.net...
> I'm a v low spend mobile user, using it mainly for texting and incoming
> calls. I also have orange Out There (5 free texts per day) on my number
> and
> don't want to lose it.
>
> New phone required and I'm thinking of getting a basic smartphone and
> using
> my existing 2G sim for voice and text but using built in Wifi to browse
> and
> check emails when I'm at home or in the office to save having to have a PC
> on all the time.
>
> Not swapping to a 3G sim is deliberate to keep the costs down as I don't
> really need data on the move.
>
> Can anyone see any problem is using my basic 2G sim in a smartphone?
>
> If anyone's interested, Orange San Fran (ZTE Blade) is in the frame for
> the
> phone (re-flashed).
>

Theo Markettos <theom+news@chiark.greenend.org.uk> wrote in
news:hJE*FoMst@news.chiark.greenend.org.uk:
> Peter Burke <none@none.invalid> wrote:
>> Not swapping to a 3G sim is deliberate to keep the costs down as I
>> don't really need data on the move.
>>
>> Can anyone see any problem is using my basic 2G sim in a smartphone?
>
> I can't see a problem, but I have no experience.
>
>> If anyone's interested, Orange San Fran (ZTE Blade) is in the frame
>> for the phone (re-flashed).
>
> Since it's Android, download APNdroid. That gives you a homescreen
> widget that you can use to stop all data traffic. Then you can turn
> it on only when you want to.
>
Thanks for the tip.

I was thinking I just wouldn't create any Access Points for GPRS/3G but
hadn't realised that I would need a data connection to send or recieve MMSs
and I am under instructions to at least accept these now.

On Sat, 8 Jan 2011 12:06:33 +0000 (UTC), Peter Burke
<none@none.invalid> wrote:
>I'm a v low spend mobile user, using it mainly for texting and incoming
>calls. I also have orange Out There (5 free texts per day) on my number and
>don't want to lose it.
>
>New phone required and I'm thinking of getting a basic smartphone and using
>my existing 2G sim for voice and text but using built in Wifi to browse and
>check emails when I'm at home or in the office to save having to have a PC
>on all the time.
>
>Not swapping to a 3G sim is deliberate to keep the costs down as I don't
>really need data on the move.

You may find a 3G connection is no more expensive, depending on how
you use it. But if you don't use mobile data there is little benefit
to using 3G.
>Can anyone see any problem is using my basic 2G sim in a smartphone?

It should work.
>If anyone's interested, Orange San Fran (ZTE Blade) is in the frame for the
>phone (re-flashed).
--
(\__/) M.
(='.'=) Due to the amount of spam posted via googlegroups and
(")_(") their inaction to the problem. I am blocking some articles
posted from there. If you wish your postings to be seen by
everyone you will need use a different method of posting.

Mark <i@dontgetlotsofspamanymore.invalid> wrote in
news:hrjli6h7pl8j8aph6sogaiirood6hd69kd@4ax.com:
> On Sat, 8 Jan 2011 12:06:33 +0000 (UTC), Peter Burke
> <none@none.invalid> wrote:
>
>>I'm a v low spend mobile user, using it mainly for texting and
>>incoming calls. I also have orange Out There (5 free texts per day) on
>>my number and don't want to lose it.
>>
>>New phone required and I'm thinking of getting a basic smartphone and
>>using my existing 2G sim for voice and text but using built in Wifi to
>>browse and check emails when I'm at home or in the office to save
>>having to have a PC on all the time.
>>
>>Not swapping to a 3G sim is deliberate to keep the costs down as I
>>don't really need data on the move.
>
> You may find a 3G connection is no more expensive, depending on how
> you use it. But if you don't use mobile data there is little benefit
> to using 3G.
>
>>Can anyone see any problem is using my basic 2G sim in a smartphone?
>
> It should work.
>
>>If anyone's interested, Orange San Fran (ZTE Blade) is in the frame
>>for the phone (re-flashed).

Thanks for the reassurance, the phone was ordered today direct from
Orange (good discount for existing PAYG customer too) and they are
sending a 3G sim to replace my current one.

My concern is that I might lose the Out There free text bonus with the
new sim and may have to revert to the old one to keep it going. Just
being a bit careful.

On Jan 10, 4:38*pm, Peter Burke <n...@none.invalid> wrote:
> Mark <i...@dontgetlotsofspamanymore.invalid> wrote innews:hrjli6h7pl8j8aph6sogaiirood6hd69kd@4ax.com:
>
>
>
> > On Sat, 8 Jan 2011 12:06:33 +0000 (UTC), Peter Burke
> > <n...@none.invalid> wrote:
>
> >>I'm a v low spend mobile user, using it mainly for texting and
> >>incoming calls. I also have orange Out There (5 free texts per day) on
> >>my number and don't want to lose it.
>
> >>New phone required and I'm thinking of getting a basic smartphone and
> >>using my existing 2G sim for voice and text but using built in Wifi to
> >>browse and check emails when I'm at home or in the office to save
> >>having to have a PC on all the time.
>
> >>Not swapping to a 3G sim is deliberate to keep the costs down as I
> >>don't really need data on the move.
>
> > You may find a 3G connection is no more expensive, depending on how
> > you use it. *But if you don't use mobile data there is little benefit
> > to using 3G.
>
> >>Can anyone see any problem is using my basic 2G sim in a smartphone?
>
> > It should work.
>
> >>If anyone's interested, Orange San Fran (ZTE Blade) is in the frame
> >>for the phone (re-flashed).
>
> Thanks for the reassurance, the phone was ordered today direct from
> Orange (good discount for existing PAYG customer too) and they are
> sending a 3G sim to replace my current one.
>
> My concern is that I might lose the Out There free text bonus with the
> new sim and may have to revert to the old one to keep it going. Just
> being a bit careful.
>
> --
> Peter

If the new SIM is processed as an 'Upgrade' the Out There should stay
on the account.

A new 3G SIM will start faster, and give you improved coverage from
sites that are 3G only.

Peter Burke wrote:
> Mark <i@dontgetlotsofspamanymore.invalid> wrote in
> news:hrjli6h7pl8j8aph6sogaiirood6hd69kd@4ax.com:
>
>> On Sat, 8 Jan 2011 12:06:33 +0000 (UTC), Peter Burke
>> <none@none.invalid> wrote:
>>
>>> I'm a v low spend mobile user, using it mainly for texting and
>>> incoming calls. I also have orange Out There (5 free texts per day)
>>> on my number and don't want to lose it.
>>>
>>> New phone required and I'm thinking of getting a basic smartphone
>>> and using my existing 2G sim for voice and text but using built in
>>> Wifi to browse and check emails when I'm at home or in the office
>>> to save having to have a PC on all the time.
>>>
>>> Not swapping to a 3G sim is deliberate to keep the costs down as I
>>> don't really need data on the move.
>>
>> You may find a 3G connection is no more expensive, depending on how
>> you use it. But if you don't use mobile data there is little benefit
>> to using 3G.
>>
>>> Can anyone see any problem is using my basic 2G sim in a smartphone?
>>
>> It should work.
>>
>>> If anyone's interested, Orange San Fran (ZTE Blade) is in the frame
>>> for the phone (re-flashed).
>
> Thanks for the reassurance, the phone was ordered today direct from
> Orange (good discount for existing PAYG customer too)

How much discount? They are currently £89.99 in Argos - I paid £99.99 in
Argos just before christmas.

On Mon, 10 Jan 2011 10:17:43 -0800 (PST), JL
<newsaccount@mail2web.com> wrote:
>On Jan 10, 4:38*pm, Peter Burke <n...@none.invalid> wrote:
>> Mark <i...@dontgetlotsofspamanymore.invalid> wrote innews:hrjli6h7pl8j8aph6sogaiirood6hd69kd@4ax.com:
>>
>>
>>
>> > On Sat, 8 Jan 2011 12:06:33 +0000 (UTC), Peter Burke
>> > <n...@none.invalid> wrote:
>>
>> >>I'm a v low spend mobile user, using it mainly for texting and
>> >>incoming calls. I also have orange Out There (5 free texts per day) on
>> >>my number and don't want to lose it.
>>
>> >>New phone required and I'm thinking of getting a basic smartphone and
>> >>using my existing 2G sim for voice and text but using built in Wifi to
>> >>browse and check emails when I'm at home or in the office to save
>> >>having to have a PC on all the time.
>>
>> >>Not swapping to a 3G sim is deliberate to keep the costs down as I
>> >>don't really need data on the move.
>>
>> > You may find a 3G connection is no more expensive, depending on how
>> > you use it. *But if you don't use mobile data there is little benefit
>> > to using 3G.
>>
>> >>Can anyone see any problem is using my basic 2G sim in a smartphone?
>>
>> > It should work.
>>
>> >>If anyone's interested, Orange San Fran (ZTE Blade) is in the frame
>> >>for the phone (re-flashed).
>>
>> Thanks for the reassurance, the phone was ordered today direct from
>> Orange (good discount for existing PAYG customer too) and they are
>> sending a 3G sim to replace my current one.
>>
>> My concern is that I might lose the Out There free text bonus with the
>> new sim and may have to revert to the old one to keep it going. Just
>> being a bit careful.
>>
>> --
>> Peter
>
>If the new SIM is processed as an 'Upgrade' the Out There should stay
>on the account.
>
>A new 3G SIM will start faster, and give you improved coverage from
>sites that are 3G only.

How many 3G only sites would be available for an Orange SIM? 0???
--
(\__/) M.
(='.'=) Due to the amount of spam posted via googlegroups and
(")_(") their inaction to the problem. I am blocking some articles
posted from there. If you wish your postings to be seen by
everyone you will need use a different method of posting.

JL <newsaccount@mail2web.com> wrote in
news:a61ebf04-7ea4-496e-96cd-e5dde14fdb86@i41g2000vbn.googlegroups.com:
> On Jan 10, 4:38*pm, Peter Burke <n...@none.invalid> wrote:
>>
>> Thanks for the reassurance, the phone was ordered today direct from
>> Orange (good discount for existing PAYG customer too) and they are
>> sending a 3G sim to replace my current one.
>>
>> My concern is that I might lose the Out There free text bonus with
>> the new sim and may have to revert to the old one to keep it going.
>> Just being a bit careful.
>>
>
> If the new SIM is processed as an 'Upgrade' the Out There should stay
> on the account.
>
> A new 3G SIM will start faster, and give you improved coverage from
> sites that are 3G only.
>
Thanks

Peter Burke wrote:
> "Pete Zahut" <none@valid.com> wrote in
> news:t8CdnWPHU_uaCbbQnZ2dnUVZ8qOdnZ2d@bt.com:
>
>>
>> How much discount? They are currently £89.99 in Argos - I paid
>> £99.99 in Argos just before christmas.
>>
>
> £78.99, no arguments, it was the opening pitch when I said I was an
> existing PAYG customer.
>
> Picked up info on likely prices and numbers to call on hotdeals:
>
> http://www.hotukdeals.com/deals/oran...-2-1-wv/763425
>
> How are you liking the phone?

Wow, great price! I like it but to be honest, it's wasted on me. A £10 top
up usually lasts me about 6 to 8 months and, unlike the younger members of
our family, I only switch it on when I need to go out; rest of the time it's
off and in a drawer. You never know though, now that I've got all these
extra facilities and things I may use it more. These things aren't really
mobile phones anymore, they're computers that you happen to be able to use
as a phone.

"Pete Zahut" <none@valid.com> wrote in
news:XLudnTOlU8bE67HQnZ2dnUVZ8rGdnZ2d@bt.com:
>
> Wow, great price! I like it but to be honest, it's wasted on me. A £10
> top up usually lasts me about 6 to 8 months and, unlike the younger
> members of our family, I only switch it on when I need to go out; rest
> of the time it's off and in a drawer. You never know though, now that
> I've got all these extra facilities and things I may use it more.
> These things aren't really mobile phones anymore, they're computers
> that you happen to be able to use as a phone.
>
> I discovered http://android.modaco.com/forum.html where there's a good
> forum on the ZTE Blade (which is what the San Fran is)
> http://android.modaco.com/category/4...de-modaco-com/ and
> followed instructions on there to unlock it and de-brand it and get
> rid of all the pre-installed Orange crap, and I'm well pleased with it
> to be honest.
>

The main justification here was to have some simple web access without
having to turn on a PC, it's amazing the number of times it's needed to
resolve arguments on casts of movies via imdb.

For that I'll be connecting via Wifi so I'm not expecting to use any
value added network features at all.

I may also use the GPS with some static maps if I can find the right app
[1] and might spend the money saved on getting a big memory card for
that.

I found modaco when researching the phone, v useful and I will be wiping
the phone of crap when I get the time.

[1] Good info in the recent uk.d-i-y thread 'OT: offline maps for
android?'.

Peter Burke wrote:
> "Pete Zahut" <none@valid.com> wrote in
> news:XLudnTOlU8bE67HQnZ2dnUVZ8rGdnZ2d@bt.com:
>
>>
>> Wow, great price! I like it but to be honest, it's wasted on me. A
>> £10 top up usually lasts me about 6 to 8 months and, unlike the
>> younger members of our family, I only switch it on when I need to go
>> out; rest of the time it's off and in a drawer. You never know
>> though, now that I've got all these extra facilities and things I
>> may use it more. These things aren't really mobile phones anymore,
>> they're computers that you happen to be able to use as a phone.
>>
>> I discovered http://android.modaco.com/forum.html where there's a
>> good forum on the ZTE Blade (which is what the San Fran is)
>> http://android.modaco.com/category/4...de-modaco-com/
>> and followed instructions on there to unlock it and de-brand it and
>> get rid of all the pre-installed Orange crap, and I'm well pleased
>> with it to be honest.
>>
>
> The main justification here was to have some simple web access without
> having to turn on a PC, it's amazing the number of times it's needed
> to resolve arguments on casts of movies via imdb.
>
> For that I'll be connecting via Wifi so I'm not expecting to use any
> value added network features at all.
>
> I may also use the GPS with some static maps if I can find the right
> app [1] and might spend the money saved on getting a big memory card
> for that.
>
> I found modaco when researching the phone, v useful and I will be
> wiping the phone of crap when I get the time.
>
> [1] Good info in the recent uk.d-i-y thread 'OT: offline maps for
> android?'.

Pete Zahut <none@valid.com> wrote:
> Peter Burke wrote:
> > I found modaco when researching the phone, v useful and I will be
> > wiping the phone of crap when I get the time.

Keep an eye on Modaco. The source to Froyo for the Blade/San Fran has just
been released, so expect some unofficial upgrades sometime soon.
(alpha Froyo ROMs from hacked binaries have been available for a while, but
a from-source release should be much better)

"JL" <newsaccount@mail2web.com> wrote in message
news:a61ebf04-7ea4-496e-96cd-e5dde14fdb86@i41g2000vbn.googlegroups.com...

> A new 3G SIM will start faster, and give you improved coverage from
> sites that are 3G only.

True, but there's not really enough 3G-only sites to make any substantial
difference to coverage. Orange had quite a few of these around the network a
couple of years ago, but most (if not all) had 2G added to them.